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As mentioned recently and before, we’re currently in a paid partnership with Home Depot. They send us a selection of tools for review consideration every quarter, we test them out (at least as many as I can), and then pick a couple to review. This quarter’s project – the sponsored part – is delayed slightly, but more on that soon.

I must admit, I was a little surprised by the selection this quarter, as they mainly featured tools I’ve already tested and have good things to say about. Not that I’m complaining!

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There were some other nice surprises, such as a Milwaukee penlight LED flashlight to test out even before Milwaukee sent me one, and some Husky multi-purpose gloves that I think I’m taking a liking to.

I haven’t parted with any of the tools yet. So if you’d like them tested in a certain way, or have any questions, please let me know!

Bosch Multi-Material Drill Bits

Shown above is a new 5-piece set of Bosch multi-purpose carbide masonry, wood, and metal drill bits, and they’re meant for use with an impact driver.

It works with your hammer drill or impact driver. Seriously? Seriously.

I did NOT try these bits at all. I simply haven’t had the time to produce a proper setup to see how effective they are, and whether you lose any drilling efficiency when using an impact driver.

My experience with Bosch multi-purpose bits is that they work reasonably well. Certainly better than regular masonry-only bits. But they’re not ideal for fine drilling of metal, wood, or plastic materials. If you remember that they’re intended for construction tasks, you probably won’t be disappointed.

Being able to use an impact driver with these bits sounds like a big advantage. But honestly, that might be like using a butter to cut a steak. Sure, it’ll do it, but not as good as with a steak knife.

Still, it’s good to know that you can use an impact driver, if it comes to that.

Bosch’s masonry-drilling bits are excellent. I suppose I might prefer these if I needed to drill through a sandwich of multiple materials and didn’t want to have to use multiple bits.

When trying to compare prices, I learned that this set costs a few dollars more than Bosch’s Blue Granite hammer drill bits. Apparently there’s a hex-shank version of those drill bits too, and they’re also designed to withstand hammer drill AND impact driver use.

So the difference between these bits and those will be the multi-material design. Buy these if you need to cut through other construction materials besides masonry, and those if you don’t plan on it.

I’ve heard of flying through your work, but this seems to take things literally. I found it in the image collection for the Blue Granite bits.

How would you caption it?

Dewalt 20V Max Brushless 18 GA Brad Nailer

There are only so many ways that I can say “I like this nailer.”

When it comes to cordless nailers these days, you have lots of options. Dewalt’s brad nailer? It has most of the same downsides as other cordless brad nailers, and most of the benefits.

If you’re looking for a cordless nailer, this is one of the best options out there. I haven’t had the stamina to attempt runtime testing. Power-wise, I haven’t seen any failings yet. It sinks nails flush. One of these days I’ll source the longest nails and densest woods I can find.

Until then, if I need a cordless brad nailer, this is the one I go hunting for first.

Now, about the pricing… don’t just buy 1 battery. Home Depot has discounted bundle packs every now and then, and tool + battery bonus bundles too. But if you do need a 9.0Ah battery and fast, it’s good to know you can find these in stores.

Right now, there are 3 bonus bundles, where you can get a free M18 HD battery with your purchase of select Fuel miter saw, hammer drill and impact combo, and M18 Fuel combo kit SKUs.

According to Home Depot’s stock checkers, the 3 nearest locations have a combined total of 32 batteries in stock.

This new Ridgid folding panel light was the worst flashlight I’ve tested. I can’t wrap my hand around it, it doesn’t fit in my pocket, and it doesn’t fit in tight spaces.

But as a worklight? You can aim the light in any direction, and multiple directions. It’s bright, with an “up to 2500 lumens” rating. You can mount it to Ridgid’s collapsible tripod lighting stand, an optional accessory that works with some of their other lights too. It also has a traditional tripod mount, too.

There are keyholes on the bottom, for mounting it to a wall or other surface with screws, and hooks on the back, with the manual showing the light suspended off of fencing.

Oh, and it’s a hybrid worklight – you can power it with a Ridgid 18V battery pack or a standard extension cord.

I’ve used the previous multi-construction bits (non-impact), and they never disappointed. Not the fastest in any material, but great for minimizing a work bag. I did pick a pack of these up, but haven’t had a chance to use yet. The bits do go up to 1/2″, but that size is not part of any multipack of sizes. Probably the most used size for me, so sort of wish it was more widely available.

Out of topic, does anybody else know yet that Hitachi powertools are changing their name to”HiKoki” at the beginning of 2018 due to their new ownership by KKR. Hitachi has released a press release about it today, at least in Finland.

The division of Hitachi that once produced the power tools was called Hitachi Koki LTD. The new KKR company is called KK Holdings Company LTD. Maybe the name change was part of the deal so as to denote that the ownership has changed and not attribute any credit or liability going forward to Hitachi.

Awhile back I bought a Craftsman 19.2volt yes Craftsman brad nailer I love this thing, its just the thing for my wood work and home repair. I hope SBD continues to keep the 19.2 volt lineup. BUT that Dewalt looks pretty awesome.

I offloaded my craftsman power tools on Craigslist and Amazon. Best decision in a long time. I got sick of not being able to get any tools I needed and I feared the batterys being discontinued. I have since bought into the Ryobi line and couldn’t be happier with the parade of new tools they have been kicking out. To my surprise all the new stuff seems to be actually pretty solid. Haven’t had any real flops so far. Seems like they let their engineers just tinker around and see what they come up with. I like that model.

No, the next step is to go from using 18650 cells in a battery pack to a slightly larger 20700 or 21700 cell. This might be problematic for Makitas X2 tools because a slightly larger battery case may not fit in older design tools because the 2 batteries are too close. Or there may be some other compatibility issues like when the first generation li-ion tools were not compatible with Makitas 2nd generation li-ion batteries with the star. I need to know where Makitas battery technology is going before I invest in any new tools, and I’m tired of being in a holding pattern while other companies are introducing batteries with 9.0AH ratings, or more.

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